


Like Mother and Father, Like Son

by truth_renowned



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Ableist Language, Children, F/M, Married Life, Period Typical Attitudes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-09
Updated: 2016-08-09
Packaged: 2018-08-07 17:45:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7723876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/truth_renowned/pseuds/truth_renowned
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peggy and Daniel are called to the principal's office when one of their kids misbehaves. Inspired by a tumblr post.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like Mother and Father, Like Son

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to @lilliammalter for the inspiration!

They shouldn’t have been surprised and, honestly, they weren’t. Michael was a handful, to say the least, and had been since the day he was born. And once he started school, his personality came through in spades. Brooding one minute, sarcastically talking back the next. Daniel continually reminded her that he was his mother’s son, and she continually told Daniel that their son acted more like his father every day. So when their seven-year-old son came home with a note from his teacher, neither parent was shocked. That didn’t mean they were happy about it.

Michael conveniently forgot to give them the note. Ana Jarvis found it when going through his pants pockets as she was putting in a load of laundry for them. She presented the note to Peggy, still folded.

“What is this?”

“I found it in Michael’s pocket,” Ana said.

Peggy unfolded it and started reading, her brow furrowing deeper the more she read.

She looked up at Ana. “Michael got into a fight at school.”

Ana nodded once but didn’t look particularly surprised, either, as she left the room.

“He knows better,” Peggy said to herself. “Fighting should be the last resort.”

“Ironic, coming from you,” came a voice from around the corner. Daniel entered the room, his lips curled in a smirk.

She shoved the note in his face. “Your son got into a fight.”

“ _My_ son? Why is he _my_ son when he’s in trouble?”

Peggy scowled, waiting as her husband read the note.

“Says we have to meet with the principal this afternoon,” Daniel said. “Guess I’ll need to ask the big boss for some time off.”

“The big boss says yes, and the big boss will be coming with you.”

“You don’t have to, Peg. I can handle this.”

“He’s _our_ son, Daniel. We’ll handle this together.”

“You’re right,” he said, kissing her cheek. “And something tells me you have plenty of practice being called to the principal’s office.”

He moved out of the way before her hand could connect with his arm.

\--------

They were seated inside the principal’s office, with the principal standing outside the open door talking to her secretary.

Peggy leaned into Daniel. “Why would Michael fight another child? He knows how much we detest bullies.”

“I don’t know, Peg.” He turned around and saw the principal approaching the office. “We’re about to find out.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Sousa, I am sorry to keep you waiting.” The forty-something-year-old, heavy-set blonde smiled pleasantly. She sat behind her desk and folded her hands on its surface. “My name is Lillian Anderson, Mrs. Anderson to Michael. Thank you both for being here.”

“Thank you for meeting with us, Mrs. Anderson,” Daniel said. “Could you tell us exactly what happened?”

Anderson’s smile faded. “Michael didn’t tell you?”

“I’m afraid not,” Peggy said.

“That’s odd. He wouldn’t explain what happened to me or his teacher, either.”

Peggy frowned. “So we don’t know why Michael fought with the other child?”

“Oh yes, we know,” Anderson said with a nod. “According to two other children who witnessed it, Michael and George, the other young man, exchanged words and Michael shoved George.”

“What words did they exchange?”

“I was hoping your son would have discussed this with you already.” Anderson shifted in her seat. “George said some not-very-nice things… about you, Mr. Sousa.”

Peggy leaned forward in her chair, her protect-Daniel hackles up. “What kinds of things?”

The teacher’s expression told them that she wanted to be anywhere other than where she was right now. “The young man told Michael that his father was…”

Peggy tilted her head, as if trying to mentally pry the words from the woman’s mouth. “His father was what?”

Anderson cleared her throat. “His father could not be a good father because he is a… a…”

“Cripple?” Daniel offered the word without a change in his expression.

Anderson lowered her gaze.

“My concern is not about the word, Mrs. Anderson,” he continued. “My concern is about my son’s reaction to the word. What was his punishment for this?”

Anderson looked Daniel in the eye. “We have not issued punishment, given what was said. We were hoping that you could handle this within the home.”

Daniel nodded. “We will talk to him about this. This behavior is unacceptable. He will be punished accordingly.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Peggy tilting her head again. She didn't agree with what he'd just said, and he would hear about it later.

“Your son is a good child, Mr. and Mrs. Sousa,” Anderson said. “He gets excellent grades, rarely acts out, and it’s obvious he is intelligent. However…” She paused, as if considering her words. “I am told that this is not the first time a fellow student has said something similar to him. He must have held in his anger, and this last time was too much for him to keep inside.”

Peggy and Daniel looked at each other. Their son was more like both of them than they thought.

\------------

They were silent as they left the principal’s office and walked out of the school to the car.

“Daniel,” Peggy said as soon as he pulled the car away from the curb, “you can’t blame Michael for his reaction to you being called such a horrible name.”

“He needs to learn how to deal with bullies using words, not fists.”

“He’s a boy,” she said. “Boys fight.”

“ _My_ boy will not rely on hitting people to solve his problems.”

“Unlike his mother?”

“That’s not what I meant, Peg,” he said, meeting her gaze briefly. “I’m not innocent here, either. Michael internalizes his anger, just like me.”

Peggy shook her head. “You know that other child had to learn that word from somewhere, most likely in the home. What kind of person raises their child to be so cruel?”

Daniel looked at her. “Think about who we worked with at the SSR, Peggy.”

“We worked with a bunch of plonkers,” she said flatly.

“Well, how many of those plonkers welcomed this cripple with open arms?”

She cringed. “I wish you would not use that word. It does not define you.”

“No, it doesn’t, but we can’t expect other people to think the way we do. And Michael needs to learn to deal with people who think differently.” 

“So he should be punished for defending his father?”

“No, he should be punished for putting his hands on that other boy.”

“I don't agree,” she said, shaking her head.

He looked at her. “Peggy, he needs to learn a lesson, and a stern talking-to is not going to get the point across strongly enough. You know Michael. In one ear and out the other.”

He was right. Their son listened to authority only when he agreed with what was said, just like her, yet his face would convey that he was listening and would obey, only to turn around and do the opposite, just like Daniel. Michael was so much like his parents, it was downright frightening. She sighed. Nothing like having a child to show you your deepest flaws.

“Fine,” she said, “but not too heavy-handed. How about no television for a week? He does so love _The Adventures of Robin Hood_ and _The Lone Ranger_.”

He nodded in agreement as he pulled up in front of the house. “No one ever said raising children was easy.”

“Some days it’s harder than running SHIELD.”

He smiled as he exited the car. “Some days?”


End file.
